Hospira Inc. / Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Acute Post-Operative Pain

51.4M US cases/yr

Disease Overview

Acute post-operative pain affects nearly every surgical patient and is traditionally managed with IV opioids such as morphine, fentanyl, and hydromorphone. Opioid-related adverse events — respiratory depression, nausea, ileus, and sedation — extend length of stay and drive interest in non-opioid IV adjuncts that reduce opioid burden.

Competitive Landscape

Hospira's 2010 acquisition of Javelin slotted Dyloject (diclofenac sodium IV) into a US hospital pain market dominated by IV opioids and a small set of non-opioid IV agents: Cumberland's Caldolor (IV ibuprofen, FDA-approved 2009) and IV acetaminophen (Cadence's Ofirmev, approved late 2010). Dyloject's pitch was a fast-acting IV NSAID using a hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin solubilization platform, designed for low-volume bolus dosing with an opioid-sparing label claim. At deal time Dyloject was awaiting FDA approval — and a CRL ultimately delayed US approval until December 2014, four years post-deal, an outcome that significantly diminished Hospira's ROI on the $145M acquisition. Strategically, Dyloject was positioned to leverage Hospira's existing acute-care sales infrastructure already calling on anesthesiologists for Precedex (dexmedetomidine), making the cross-sell logic clean even if execution stalled on regulatory timing. Hospira retained global rights ex-Europe, where rights remained with Therabel. The deal is widely viewed as strategically sound but financially compromised by the CRL — Pfizer ultimately inherited Dyloject when it acquired Hospira in 2015. Source: https://www.gabionline.net/pharma-news/Generics-manufacturer-Hospira-merges-with-Javelin